TEPALCATES · YELP ASSISTANT
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To answer your question. YES. These are incredible tacos. Super friendly fast service, fresh ingredients, thoughtful flavors. Salsas an amazing too. Cute little spot but clean and good to munch some tacos at. They have some other items but we only tried a few tacos. The shrimp and steak ones were stand outs but all are pretty dang good!
So freakin good!!!! Can't wait to come back and try the potato burrito + more! The cauliflower burrito 10/10 Chips/guac 10/10 Horchata 10/10 Plus the customer service (Jose) was stellar!
Went on a Saturday night, line out the door. Not a lot of places to sit, definitely not a "sit down" type of restaurant. More quick and go or takeout. We waited at least 30 Minutes for our 6 tacos, they were busy but it was still pretty long. The staff were very nice. The tacos were good, but I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas. I have had better corn and flour tacos in Texas and California where I used to live. My date loved his, I thought they were a 3 out of 5.
Small cozy interior with a great atmosphere. Service was great, and helped when it came to ordering, cause everything was looking good. The fruit drinks are fresh and well made. The tacos are the real standout each one unique with great flavor. The steak taco hit the hardest for me, smoky with good peppers and onions, but both of the others held their own too, don't sleep on them. If you're ever in the Chicago area, some of the best tacos I've had hands down. -Mr.
After years of driving past Tepalcates, I finally stopped by for dinner. The owner was super welcoming and made sure you knew about their signature dishes and salsas. If it's your first time here, expect samples of their refreshing homemade drinks! The Quesabirria and suadero taco I had were amazing! It's a cozy highly sought after neighborhood spot. Went on a weeknight and it got busy fairly quickly so expect a wait on weekends.
Our friend put us on to this last night and they ask you immediately if you had been before. If it's your first time, they give you samples of all the delicious drinks they offer. Horchata, guava, passion fruit and Mexican lemonade. I think it's a brilliant idea because I probably wouldn't have gotten a sugary drink normally. We got the guava and Mexican lemonade mixed. Lovely. The restaurant has passionate people working there! A friendly fellow had lots of pictures of the menu, suggestions and new cuisine we had not heard of before. Seemed like a family spot and just a simple restaurant. It was the end of the night so the floor was a little dirty and it was a lil dusty in the dining room but nothing that made me alarmed. I got the lomo torta which was sooo good but the bread did not hold up to all the goodies inside. I got a side of rice for the extra and was happy with that choice! My partner got the Cesina taco and some birria tacos and NO JOKE, the birria was best I've ever had. The guy told us but... you never know. He suggested an amazing soup we didn't know what it was but just went with it. Carne en su jugo and it came with tortillas. Lots of flavor and was nice and warm on a cold rainy night. We will be back!
This is not by where I live and I will go out of the way to get here every month. Unassuming little storefront from the outside, and you're immediately welcomed in by the main man himself, Jose. He knew it was our first time so he gave us the whole rundown: showing us pictures on his phones of the top sellers, letting us try all of their homemade juices (the Mexican lemonade!!), and chatting with us for at least 15 minutes. This man could sell ANYTHING. His siblings were on the grill & gave us the top recommendations. I couldn't really tell you everything we ordered because we gave our first order and Jose said "no don't get those basic ones (Al pastor, carne asada), get these interesting ones". And you can't say no to Jose. The spices on the octopus were out of this world and the SAUCES?! He brought out 4 sauces varying in spice and all were so tasty and different. They recommended which sauce to go with which taco. 10/10 will absolutely be back.
Amazing food! Looks like a small, unassuming restaurant from the front, but there is a separate seating area in the back for more groups. The owner and staff are personable, excited for new customers, and more than helpful if you need some assistance ordering. I'll be back to try the octopus/pulpo tacos as they were highly recommended!
My fiancé came here by chance, and he came home raving about the octopus taco. He said they recommended it, so the whole table he was with all ordered it. Everyone was pleasantly surprised. So, one day, he brought dinner home- I got the octopus, shrimp, and chicken Al pastor. They were exploding with flavor, and all their salsas were great. I couldn't believe how tender the octopus was! The guac was a tad salty for my preference, but still good. Prices are reasonable especially for the quality and flavors. Yum!
This is my new go to for Mexican in Chicago We were first timers and to the owner was nice enough to let us try all the drinks (guava, Mexican lemonade, passion fruit) and give us the rundown on all the dishes they were best known for. We got: - nachos with suadero - cochinita and lomo tacos - quesabirria Good amount for 2 hungry people, and the food was incredibly high quality (11/10) and surprisingly pretty cheap! It was also a clean space with plenty of seating, good music, fans, and friendly workers tip for new comers: Let the owner recommend!!
Tepalcates is a small and unassuming place. The food and service exceeded my expectations. Jose, mentioned in other reviews, immediately got to work on giving us samples of agua frescas and horchata, and went over their most popular dishes. When Jose says their dishes are the best, he's not exaggerating! The beef brisket taco was excellent. The drinks were all so good--I may need to go back soon for some horchata. The place started to get packed with a line out the door after 6pm so keep that in mind (we went on a Saturday). I'm glad to have tried out this family-owned restaurant!
My tacos: Lengua - steam tongue Suadero - beef brisket confit Pulpo -(octopus pibil) marinated with special Yucatan pibil And we shared Chips n Guac I enjoyed all my tacos. Tongue and octopus were so tender and beef brisket was crispy and flavorful. Perfect portion of meats in each taco. Meats weren't greasy. Chips and guac were legit and plentiful. Passion Fruit Lemonade & Guava juice were refreshing and not terribly sweet. Manager/owner was very nice and helpful. Small amount of seating inside. Prices are on higher end but it was so good, I'd return.
Family-owned Mexican restaurant with authentic recipes. The owner was very friendly and basically said everything was equally good. I had the octopus taco and beef brisket taco. Both of them had great flavors, but the beef one was a bit salty. You can tell all the ingredients are fresh and cohesive.
3 months ago
Tepalcates has officially earned the spot as my #1 taqueria in Chicago. From the moment you walk in, the service is outstanding, but the quality and freshness of the food are what truly set this place apart. The guacamole is easily some of the best I've ever had--exceptionally fresh, vibrant, and served with perfectly crisp, fresh chips. Even the horchata deserves recognition: rich, refreshing, and hands down the best I've had. For tacos, I went with the lengua, carne asada, and lomo, simply topped with cilantro and onion. Each meat was tender, flavorful, and cooked to perfection, allowing the quality of the ingredients to speak for themselves. Tepalcates delivers where it matters most: fresh ingredients, beautifully prepared meats, excellent service, and authentic flavor. No gimmicks needed. This is what a great taqueria should be, and right now, it sits firmly at #1 on my Chicago list. read more
3 months ago
4 months ago
And who said the mid west doesn't know Mexican food? (Maybe it was me being from the west coast ) The reviews had my mouth drooling and my expectations were more than satisfied! FRESH FRESH FRESH! So much thought & love was poured into this food. You can literally taste it! The restaurant is small giving hole-in the wall vibes but the food taste 5 star high quality & fresh! All of the employees work together and are very friendly! I felt like I was being invited into a family's home for lunch! read more
To answer your question. YES. These are incredible tacos. Super friendly fast service, fresh ingredients, thoughtful flavors. Salsas an amazing too. Cute little spot but clean and good to munch some tacos at. They have some other items but we only tried a few tacos. The shrimp and steak ones were stand outs but all are pretty dang good! read more
2 months ago
Went on a Saturday night, line out the door. Not a lot of places to sit, definitely not a "sit down" type of restaurant. More quick and go or takeout. We waited at least 30 Minutes for our 6 tacos, they were busy but it was still pretty long. The staff were very nice. The tacos were good, but I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas. I have had better corn and flour tacos in Texas and California where I used to live. My date loved his, I thought they were a 3 out of 5. read more
Small cozy interior with a great atmosphere. Service was great, and helped when it came to ordering, cause everything was looking good. The fruit drinks are fresh and well made. The tacos are the real standout each one unique with great flavor. The steak taco hit the hardest for me, smoky with good peppers and onions, but both of the others held their own too, don't sleep on them. If you're ever in the Chicago area, some of the best tacos I've had hands down. -Mr. read more
After years of driving past Tepalcates, I finally stopped by for dinner. The owner was super welcoming and made sure you knew about their signature dishes and salsas. If it's your first time here, expect samples of their refreshing homemade drinks! The Quesabirria and suadero taco I had were amazing! It's a cozy highly sought after neighborhood spot. Went on a weeknight and it got busy fairly quickly so expect a wait on weekends. read more
Our friend put us on to this last night and they ask you immediately if you had been before. If it's your first time, they give you samples of all the delicious drinks they offer. Horchata, guava, passion fruit and Mexican lemonade. I think it's a brilliant idea because I probably wouldn't have gotten a sugary drink normally. We got the guava and Mexican lemonade mixed. Lovely. The restaurant has passionate people working there! A friendly fellow had lots of pictures of the menu, suggestions and new cuisine we had not heard of before. Seemed like a family spot and just a simple restaurant. It was the end of the night so the floor was a little dirty and it was a lil dusty in the dining room but nothing that made me alarmed. I got the lomo torta which was sooo good but the bread did not hold up to all the goodies inside. I got a side of rice for the extra and was happy with that choice! My partner got the Cesina taco and some birria tacos and NO JOKE, the birria was best I've ever had. The guy told us but... you never know. He suggested an amazing soup we didn't know what it was but just went with it. Carne en su jugo and it came with tortillas. Lots of flavor and was nice and warm on a cold rainy night. We will be back! read more
1 year ago
This is not by where I live and I will go out of the way to get here every month. Unassuming little storefront from the outside, and you're immediately welcomed in by the main man himself, Jose. He knew it was our first time so he gave us the whole rundown: showing us pictures on his phones of the top sellers, letting us try all of their homemade juices (the Mexican lemonade!!), and chatting with us for at least 15 minutes. This man could sell ANYTHING. His siblings were on the grill & gave us the top recommendations. I couldn't really tell you everything we ordered because we gave our first order and Jose said "no don't get those basic ones (Al pastor, carne asada), get these interesting ones". And you can't say no to Jose. The spices on the octopus were out of this world and the SAUCES?! He brought out 4 sauces varying in spice and all were so tasty and different. They recommended which sauce to go with which taco. 10/10 will absolutely be back. read more
7 months ago
Amazing food! Looks like a small, unassuming restaurant from the front, but there is a separate seating area in the back for more groups. The owner and staff are personable, excited for new customers, and more than helpful if you need some assistance ordering. I'll be back to try the octopus/pulpo tacos as they were highly recommended! read more
My fiancé came here by chance, and he came home raving about the octopus taco. He said they recommended it, so the whole table he was with all ordered it. Everyone was pleasantly surprised. So, one day, he brought dinner home- I got the octopus, shrimp, and chicken Al pastor. They were exploding with flavor, and all their salsas were great. I couldn't believe how tender the octopus was! The guac was a tad salty for my preference, but still good. Prices are reasonable especially for the quality and flavors. Yum! read more
This is my new go to for Mexican in Chicago We were first timers and to the owner was nice enough to let us try all the drinks (guava, Mexican lemonade, passion fruit) and give us the rundown on all the dishes they were best known for. We got: - nachos with suadero - cochinita and lomo tacos - quesabirria Good amount for 2 hungry people, and the food was incredibly high quality (11/10) and surprisingly pretty cheap! It was also a clean space with plenty of seating, good music, fans, and friendly workers tip for new comers: Let the owner recommend!! read more
2 years ago
Tepalcates is a small and unassuming place. The food and service exceeded my expectations. Jose, mentioned in other reviews, immediately got to work on giving us samples of agua frescas and horchata, and went over their most popular dishes. When Jose says their dishes are the best, he's not exaggerating! The beef brisket taco was excellent. The drinks were all so good--I may need to go back soon for some horchata. The place started to get packed with a line out the door after 6pm so keep that in mind (we went on a Saturday). I'm glad to have tried out this family-owned restaurant! read more
My tacos: Lengua - steam tongue Suadero - beef brisket confit Pulpo -(octopus pibil) marinated with special Yucatan pibil And we shared Chips n Guac I enjoyed all my tacos. Tongue and octopus were so tender and beef brisket was crispy and flavorful. Perfect portion of meats in each taco. Meats weren't greasy. Chips and guac were legit and plentiful. Passion Fruit Lemonade & Guava juice were refreshing and not terribly sweet. Manager/owner was very nice and helpful. Small amount of seating inside. Prices are on higher end but it was so good, I'd return. read more
5 months ago
Family-owned Mexican restaurant with authentic recipes. The owner was very friendly and basically said everything was equally good. I had the octopus taco and beef brisket taco. Both of them had great flavors, but the beef one was a bit salty. You can tell all the ingredients are fresh and cohesive. read more
5 months ago
11 months ago
11 months ago
Amazing service! Great food! Cauliflower al pastor taco was insanely good. Rib eye taco was phenomenal. Flan coconut cake was a perfect ending to the meal. Tried the birra ramen. Delicious broth. read more
I did takeout from here not long ago. I called in the order and it was ready before the promised time. The customer service here is truly one of its kind. The owner was very friendly and welcoming. You can tell he was really busy, made they sure that every customer left satisfied. He offered a couple of us that were waiting for our food, samples of their aguas frescas. They were all really tasty and would definitely recommend trying them, especially on a hot summer day. Although I really wanted to try to tacos, I don't like doing tacos for takeout because they get all soggy. We ordered Carne Asada Tortas. They were really delicious. Everything tasted fresh, the bread was soft, and the meat had great flavor. It unfortunately wasn't arrachera meat, they used regular taco meat instead, which is ok, but arrachera would have definitely made this already good tasting torta taste even better. They also had really good tasting salsas as well. Some were spicy some were ok, definitely worth trying all of them. I can definitely see myself returning to try their tacos. Will have to dine in for that. read more
1 year ago
2 months ago
5 months ago
2 years ago
Wow. I am so impressed by this place. It's easily just become my favorite place to get Mexican food. We grabbed a pretty large takeout order on a Monday for lunch. It was ready quickly in 20 minutes, and came out piping hot and everything was delicious. I truly am so impressed by the flavor in each item. I don't know how to explain this - everything felt authentic, yet had an incredible twist. Even the salsas, for example, were all so unique and flavorful. My favorite was the shrimp taco, but truly everything we tried was delicious. You can clearly see the staff really cares about what they are doing here. I can't wait to get back here and try more. read more
1 year ago
The service is really what sets this restaurant apart! The owner was SO nice and friendly. The food was incredible as well, as soon as I got home I was texting my friends they need to go here! We also got the churros and the guava agua fresca, and those were both incredible! read more
4 months ago
4 months ago
1 year ago
8 months ago
7 months ago
11 months ago
2 years ago
"Try this! It is the best you've had..." says the owner as he passes you a sample of the horchata. "Try this! You've never had anything as good as lthis..." says the owner with a small cup of the passion fruits agua fresca. Entering this unassuming Mexican restaurant is akin to "Cheers" - the owner will know your name. If he doesn't, he will remember you the next time you come in. This is important for a small restaurant that cooks food like you are family. The small kitchen is open and a buzz. Music in the background smiles abound. The owner helps with you anything that may seem unfamiliar. If you're a regular, he recommends something new. The menu isn't extensive. It needn't be. Simple is good and the food is great. My sister and mom loves the birra tacos. (Yes, it was the best they ever had.) I had the pollo al pastor torta. It was delicious. Seasoned well, fresh tasting with a wonderfully light french bread. It was tasty but not filling. I easily wanted another. They churros were deliciously crispy. Yet, still light and never oily. They had a light drizzle of dulce de leche was nice touch. They would have been just as good plain. Yes, Tepalcates could be the best Mexican food that I have enjoyed. The owner will tell you this. I fully endorse his message! read more
9 months ago
1 year ago
Customer service was very nice and the food was seasoned well. Ordered octopus, shrimp, birria and ribeye tacos plus burrito. Chips and guac stole the show, shrimp tacos were good too. However, while we were eating something about my date's food, came back up. My date had to rush out of the restaurant. Disappointed and won't be returning, because I don't want to chance it. read more
1 year ago
RUN don't walk to Tepalcates! The staff is so friendly and welcoming (provided samples of their wonderful homemade drinks - the passion fruit & Mexican lemonade was awesome)! Their chips are outstanding! The quesabirrias tacos 10/10! The star of the show is the Birria Ramen, which is one of the best bowls of soup I've ever had 20/10!! read more
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